Commercial buildings collapse after fire

A number of units at Vicarage Lane West caught fire on Monday night

A number of commercial buildings have collapsed following a large fire.

Essex fire crews attended the blaze in North Weald after multiple reports of smoke in the area at about 18:05 BST on Monday.

The blaze spread to a large streel framed building, containers and other smaller units on Vicarage Lane West.

It was put out by 19:30 and crews worked in "difficult conditions" to contain it and to dampen down hot spots, Essex County Fire & Rescue Service said.

Ross Daynes, crew manager, said it was a remote location with a low water supply and it "worked really quickly to surround and contain the fire".

"Due to the damage and collapse of a number of the units, it was a difficult fire to fully extinguish due to hidden hot spots," he said.

"We also found two cylinders, which can be very dangerous if they get too hot, so firefighters used water to cool them until they were safe."

There were no reports of any injuries.